Electric Toyota LandCruiser drives 7km underwater

Is there anything a Toyota LandCruiser can’t do?

A bright orange 1978 Toyota LandCruiser FJ40 that’s been waterproofed and converted to an electric drivetrain has driven 7.0 kilometres underwater across the Darwin Harbour.

As reported by ABC, the team behind the feat claims to have broken the world record for the longest and deepest underwater drive.

It took the team of 30 commercial divers to drive the converted LandCruiser, affectionately named “Mudcrab”, almost 12 hours to drive seven kilometres underwater. This was around five hours longer than anticipated.

During the drive “Mudcrab” was up to 30 metres underwater where the pressure was so immense the divers could only spend 15 minutes in the car at a time before resurfacing.

Modifications to the classic LandCruiser beyond the waterproofed electric powertrain included tyres filled with water weighing 150kg. The restoration process took around six months.

This isn’t the first time a team has driven a vehicle on the sea floor of the Darwin Harbour. In 1983 a team of 70 divers attempted to drive a LandCruiser ute across the harbour but failed when it hit a rock ledge 3km in.

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